Tallahassee
by Ravenclawdiadem16
Summary: When August tells Neal to leave Emma, Neal decides not to send Emma to prison. Neal now has to convince Emma fairy-tales are real, shes a princess and meant to brake a curse cast by the Evil Queen, while dealing with his father and his own past. Swanfire.
1. Chapter 1

"When you see what I have in here you're going to listen. You're going to believe every word I say." I'll admit this guy is an asshole. He's an asshole but one who seems to confident. Too cocky. I have to know what this guy knows. Especially if it involves Emma. The way he was talking about destiny and magic, it was as if he knew.

He opened his briefcase and I decided to play cool. "Yeah right" I scoffed and bent over to look inside. My eyes widened when I saw. My palms became sweaty my heart started racing.

Inside his case laid a typewriter. And on that type writer had 4 words written on it.

 _I know you're Baelfire._

I couldn't believe it. I came to this land to get away from that identity. To get away from magic. From him. How could he know? This realm is known as the land **without** magic. Memories flashed through my head. My father before he became the dark one. My childhood. Neverland. But most importantly my father braking his deal with me. Choosing power over his only son.

All the emotional crap I had thought I'd buried long ago resurfaced.

After what felt like an eternity I turned away and looked at this August guy while closing the case. "I'm listening" my voice cracked. That was all I could manage too say. I was pretty sure I was in shock.

"There was a curse." Fucking seriously? When I left Neverland I thought I left all this magical crap behind. "And it needs to be broken" well no shit Sherlock. What else do you do with curses? I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. One was dread because this was obviously about Emma. Two was fear because my father would defiantly be involved in a freaking curse of all things. "Emma is the key." I closed my eyes and prayed it wasn't true. But I'm the son of a villain and villains don't get happy endings.

"I was tasked with keeping her on track and you, my friend, just got caught in the crossfire. Now I'm going to tell you a story and at the end of it you are going to have to make a decision. Will you do the right thing? Or not? So are you ready?"

I didn't think I would ever be ready. But Emma was waiting and so I had to get this over with. I nodded. "Once Upon A time in a magical realm known as the Enchanted Forest there was a man named Geppetto and his son Pinocchio." I gave him a look. I know had an inkling on who this guy was.

"Geppetto was approached by the Blue Fairy to create a wardrobe out of an enchanted tree. You see traveling between realms was nearly impossible at this point. The wardrobe could act as a portal between worlds taking two people only.

The Blue Fairy explained it was meant to take the pregnant Snow White and her Charming husband to a realm without magic. Now why would their majesties want to leave their comfy palace life for a world they knew nothing about?" He continued on so I figured that was a rhetorical question. "The Evil Queen had a curse. It was literally called The Dark Curse. It was to rip everyone away from their home world into a land without magic where no one would have their true memories and rip away everyone's happiness. Geppetto told the Blue Fairy that he would make the wardrobe if Pinocchio got the second spot and not Prince James. Snow White would come to this land while pregnant with her daughter, figure out Geppetto had lied to her when she saw the boy standing on the other side of tree but wouldn't make an innocent boy suffer for it taking him under her wing until her daughter was born and as prophesied by Rumpelstiltskin would break the curse on her 28th birthday being known as the saviour."

My heart sped up. A freaking prophecy? Things were starting to come together. His earlier comment about Emma having a destiny. His story about Pinocchio. He mentioned my father to rattle me of course. My thoughts got cut off by his story "but then the princess to the kingdom of Misthaven was born too early. The curse had been enacted and Queen Snow had given birth too weak to move. Prince James fought the Evil Queen's Black Knights and managed to get his daughter to the wardrobe with nothing but a handmade blanket with her name sewn into it."

I stumbled back. I have seen that blanket before. Right then and there I knew. "She's the princess. Emma is a fucking Princess?" I started to laugh. Falling on the ground laughing. It was just too much. This whole conversation has been surreal.

"So, Pinocchio is it?" he didn't confirm, but also didn't deny it. Fuck. "Let me get one thing clear. I will not leave her. I want to do right by her, so I'm not going to leave her." He went to say something but I cut him off. He got his chance to talk. Know it was mine. "She does deserve her parents. She deserves the freaking world. Do you even know where everyone is who was cursed?" he stayed silent shifting from one foot to the other. "I thought not. I'll bring her on her 28th birthday to break the curse myself. I will start doing research to find this magical town. She will get her parents back, you will get your father back. Until then she stays with me."

"He will be there. In the town. Are you really ready to face him? Being a coward runs in your genes, does it not?"

That stopped me dead in my tracks. He was talking about Rumpelstiltskin, my father also known as The Dark One. The honest truth to his question was hell no. "I'm not" my voice came out hoarse. "But I have about 10 years to become ready"

Having said that I walked away quickly, I fenced the watches, got the 20 grand and raced back to Emma. I stopped where she was waiting "get in" I hissed. She had barley closed the door by the time I took off.

"Wow what the hell happened, did you get it?" I gestured to the back completely overwhelmed by today not being able to talk. She looked in the bag and squealed. "Neal this is amazing." She sounded completely awed. I barely noticed anything around me and just kept driving.

It had been about fifteen hours straight and we hadn't stopped, I barely said a word. I know Emma wanted an explanation but how was I meant to give her one? Tell her she's really a fairy-tale princess? That I'm from the same realm and am the son of the Dark One? There's no way in hell she would believe me. Probably have me shipped to the mental ward or something. I barely noticed that we left Arizona crossed New Mexico and where into Oklahoma state. Only after Emma's relentless bagging did we find a motel, pull over and just made it to our room when we both fell asleep.

The next morning I woke to the sweet aroma of coffee. Emma was standing there with two cups and handed me one, black. I knew she took hers with two sugars and cream. She sat on the bed and gave me a look. I knew that look. She wanted an explanation.

"Em sweetie, I'm sorry I ignored you last night. I was late getting back to you because I ran into someone. I had no clue how he found me, but he had a deal for me. The deal would involve you taking the fall for the watches and me getting away with the 20 grand."

"WHAT!" yup I was expecting that.

"I told him no way in hell of course but I had to stay and listen to him because…" I took a deep breath, "He knew my father."

She looked at me with pity. "Oh Neal." She leaned over and hugged me, rubbing my back in a soothing way.

"My name's not Neal." She froze. "It's not the name I was born with at any rate. My name is Baelfire." I had no idea what possessed me to say that but I didn't want to lie to her anymore. And I've checked every fairy tale story of this land and no Baelfire has ever been mentioned.

"Baelfire" she said slowly testing the name as it rolled of her tongue. She smiled. "I like it. Do you think I can call you that when we are alone" she bit her lip shyly.

I really hated that name but there was something about the way she said it. Thinking it over I nodded slowly "only when it's us." I told her.

She nodded. "Like our little secret" she adjusted herself on the bed and leaned in slowly kissing me.

Driving to Canada could wait a few more hours.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-11 years later**

I sometimes could not believe how lucky I got. Looking at my ten year old son Henry David, and my five year old daughter Hope Ruth, and my fiancé Neal or as I called him Baelfire. After I get home from work and can just lounge in my backyard are my favorite type of days, just watching and playing with our kids in our back yard chasing them around. It was like nothing I ever thought possible back in my foster system days.

Those were dark times for me until he came into my life. I still remember all of the big milestones in our lives.

 _After we crossed the border into Toronto, deciding it was too dangerous to stay in the States, I quickly found a job as a waitress while going into law enforcement at the local collage. Neal took a job as a repair man. Our combined incomes bought us a small apartment. We decided to only dip into the 20 grand from the watches if we had too, both knowing how easy it was too lose everything._

 _I had been having really bad morning sickness, and after a couple of weeks we went to the doctor. After running multiple tests the doctor informed me that I was about nine weeks pregnant._

 _I came home and paced until Bae got home. After he informed me of his real name I decided it suited him better than Neal and called him it as often as I could. I sat him down at the table and kind of blurted it out not very elegantly. I thought he might be mad as we were both so young and I was still going to school. He was ecstatic and started talking to my stomach that he was his papa as if the baby could actually hear him._

 _He picked up a second job to pay for all of the baby stuff. I tried to as well but the stress of a second job and going to collage while pregnant we decided was going to be too much. Those were hard days were we hardly saw each other and our relationship was definitely strained. 9 months later it was all worth it as on August 15_ _th_ _2001 our son, Henry David Swan was born into the world._

 _My heart filled with so much joy, like at the end of the Grinch when his heart grows three sizes, that's what happened when I looked at my son. He was Bae's and I's pride and joy._

 _We had a long talk and since in some parts of the States Neal Cassidy was still being looked for, he didn't want his name passed on so we gave our child my last name._

 _I took a year off for maternity leave while Neal still worked two jobs. After my year off I went back to College. It was three years after I came back from Mat leave when I graduated College and began my career as a bail bonds person._

 _Bae wanted Henry to have someone with him at home so he quit his jobs to become a stay at home parent when Henry was four. My job was providing a steady income and was flexible so I got to see my kid often. A year after Bae made a romantic picnic under the stars, got down on one knee and promised to be mine forever._

 _He pulled out a gorgeous engagement ring and asked if I would be his wife. I smiled at him and told him "what do you think?" as I joined him on the picnic blanket and gave him a slow tantalizing kiss. We had started to plan the wedding but life through us a curve ball named Hope. We had been planning on a second kid just not so soon._

 _After we figured our apartment was too small for the four of us and bought a house with a huge backyard. When I was 23 years old our daughter was born into the world. She had some medical complications that we weren't sure if she was going to survive, hence we named her Hope as we knew she had to survive. It would devastate us if she didn't._

 _Two years later she was sent home with a clean bill of health, being the worse two years of our life. Our wedding got put on hold and we just haven't gotten back around to it._

I got pulled out of my day dream by my son running into my arms yelling to save him. I see Hope running after him with a snow balls getting him all cold and wet. It was October in Canada and there was snow everywhere. We called an end to the snow fight, got our kids all cleaned up and served them hot chocolate with cinnamon.

All four of us gathered around our fire place and read from Henry's storybook. It wasn't an ordinary storybook, it had all the classic fairy-tale characters but all the stories were interconnected and way different than the classics.

Bae had pulled me aside after Henry found the book several years ago and told me that all the stories in this book were true and that he was from this land, the Enchanted Forest. I didn't quite know if I believe him but there would be no point in lying so I accepted it but am still sceptical. We read the story when the evil queen storms in on Snow Whites wedding and threatens everyone in the kingdom. Henry got a real kick that the name of the princess at the end of the book is Emma and keeps trying to convince me I'll have to brake some curse and that I'm some long lost princess.

We got up the next day and I got breakfast in bed. Today is my 28th birthday. I saved up my vacation days as Bae told me that on my 28th birthday we were going on a family road trip across the United States. We all piled into the yellow bug and went on our way. We drove about ten hours with only minimal bathroom and food stops. We had finally hit the first state we were going to Maine. Our kids were complaining so we decided to pull over in the next place we saw as it seems because we were in the middle of nowhere.

The next town we came across had a sign

 _Welcome to Storybrooke._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Hi everyone thanks for your favorites and following! Just so you know I'm not going to paint August in a very good light, in case that upsets you**

My heart started racing.

Storybrooke.

It was way too much of a coincidence for a name of a town. It's what August told me three years ago where everyone was.

 _I was coming home from picking up Henry from school. I pulled up to my house and saw August leaning against his bike, as if he didn't have a care in the world. I'll be honest, I wanted to deck the son of a bitch. Emma was pregnant when he wanted me to leave her. I would've abandoned my own child if I listened to him._

 _"Daddy who's that" an inquisitive seven year old Henry asked as we approached him._

 _"Just an old friend. Henry go wait in the house" I said not taking my eyes off August._

 _He ran into the house. "Such a cute little family. How old is your son? Seven? Does that mean you got a seventeen year old pregnant?" August taunted._

 _"You bastard. Tell me what you came here to say. Then get the hell out of my sight."_

 _"Temper, temper, perhaps it runs in the dark ones genes?"_

 _This guy was pushing it. "Storybrooke Maine."_

 _"Storybrooke?" I snorted. The curse lacked originality that's for sure._

 _"I told you what you wanted to know" and with that he drove off._

It felt like a lead ball dropped in my stomach. My father was somewhere in this town. Rumpelstiltskin, the Dark One.

The eleven previous years had been the best of my life. I got to be a father, and not abandon my son as my father had abandoned me. I got to stay at home and really forge a connection with our children. It filled me with a satisfaction like no other.

I l know I told August that I had years to become ready to face my father again, but I don't think I will ever be ready.

We drove into town not seeing anyone for this time a night. We found a dinner named Granny's and stopped there to grab a bite to eat.

"Oh are you new? I don't think I've seen you here before?" A waitress with red in her hair came up and asked. Her outfit was completely inappropriate for a family diner but all these people are cursed and probably not themselves so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

"Hi Ruby" I read off her name tag "yeah we are on a road trip and kind of stumbled here by accident" that was a lie. "I'm Neal, this is my fiancé Emma, and our children Henry and Hope" I motion to everyone as I say their names.

"Will aren't you two just adorable" she cooed over the children "what can I get for you?" she got her pencil ready to write stuff down.

We ordered and ate then asked where we could rent a room. It turned out Ruby's grandmother owned a motel and we got a room for a couple of nights.

The next morning I woke up Henry and we went down to the diner for breakfast. It was quite more crowded than the previous night but we got a table in the corner. "So kid, Operation Cobra. Do you know who Ruby is?" I asked him.

You see when Henry found his storybook all those years ago and he thought they were real, I confirmed it. I told him the story August told me and who I was. He decided that we needed an inconspicuous code name for this mission to brake the curse and the kid was going through a fascination with snakes at the time.

He brought out the storybook and pointed to Little Red Riding Hood. "She has a granny, and red hair. There is quite a striking resemblance between the illustration and what she looks like."

We had both read through the book cover to cover multiple times and I agreed with his assessment. "Ok" I took out some pen and paper. On the Paper I wrote Neal/Baelfire, Emma/Daughter of Snow White, Ruby/Red Riding Hood.

The door chimed and I turned around only to drop my fork. He was here. It was him. No way. Before us was Rumpelstiltskin in all his glory. He came in, got some money from the landlord after some vague threats

"Who was that?" I was pulled out of my musings by Henry talking to the Ruby.

"That was Mr. Gold. He own this place."

"The Diner?" I asked thinking that would be kind of weird.

"No, the town" I nodded that sounded more like dear old dad.

We placed our orders and I wrote down Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin.

He came over to us and I started panicking.

"Well hello there. I don't believe I've seen you around. It's a small town we don't get many visitors you know." His voice seemed pleasant but there was something underlying in it. I didn't really think he would let himself be cursed but this did not seem like papa.

"We are just passing through. I'm Henry and this is my father Neal" I should stop him from talking but I was too stunned from seeing him to do anything. It's like I've been paralysed with squid ink. Henry obviously didn't recognise him as he looked quite different without all his scales. "My sister Hope and my mom Emma are upstairs sleeping." Henry told him.

There was something wrong. As soon as Henry said Emma's name a giant grin broke out on his face. It was like something within him had shifted.

"Emma" the name rolled off his tongue "What a lovely name."

He knew. That look was 100% Dark One. Emma's name seemed to be the trigger. I suddenly remembered a part in the story book were Snow and Charming gave him Emma's name for exchange of information on the curse. He built a failsafe into the curse. With saying that he left and walked off.

My heart started racing. _Don't break our deal, Papa you promised, we had a deal. The only deal Rumpelstiltskin has ever broken. With his own son. That day is seared into my brain. The pull of the portal. The desperation. When he chose power over me. Everything I thought I buried eons ago all came back in full force._

"That was my grandfather?" asked Henry as he read the piece of paper braking me out of my trance.

"SHHH not so loud." I scolded him. The last thing I needed was him knowing who I was.

Half way through eating our breakfast Emma and Hope came down looking positively radiant. "Letting us sleep in? Oh how you spoil me. You're like my own Prince Charming." She said gesturing to the storybook. If only she knew.

The door chimed again and I spun around to see a woman in a pantsuit walking towards us. "Hello" her voice was sickly sweet and I was put on edge. "I'm the mayor of this fine town. We don't really get visitors so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Regina Mills." I looked to Henry and he nodded. It would make sense that the person who cast the curse was in a position of authority. This was the woman who was the reason Emma grew up as an orphan.

This was the Evil Queen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **potterstar202: Thank you for your positive feedback!**

 **ragsweas: Thanks for your review. I went back to the first chapter and changed it. I used the wrong type of break.**

 **Helsa-Gurl: I feel you. I loved their relationship and I personally blame August for ruining it. I adore Neal as a father as I feel he would do exactly the opposite of his father. Tell your daughter she has good taste in ships.**

She was an intimidating woman. If I was most people I would have been freaked out. But growing up with the Dark One as a father and being on the run from Peter Pan (Complete psychopath by the way) for centuries meant I was a hard man to intimidate.

No I was more pissed off then scared. Emma was meant to grow up a princess with her every need and whim catered too. Never supposed to be hungry or scared of her foster parents. Never supposed to of eaten out of dumpsters or steal to survive. She was supposed to know she was loved and wanted throughout her childhood.

He held three people personally responsible. Geppetto because he let Pinocchio go through the wardrobe instead of one of her parents. As much as I want to hold August responsible he was only a boy at the time. I hold August responsible for a lot, but not this.

I holds my father responsible because his father invented the blasted thing that cursed his home realm. And I just wanted to blame his father. Anger was easier to deal with then admitting that I still loved him as any child would love their papa.

And of course I hold Regina responsible as she actually enacted the curse. I was just barley controlling his rage wanting to kill her. He thought he might actually if given the chance.

That meeting shook me to my very core. Because she had made threats. Not obvious ones, but I had spent lifetimes figuring out what people said, vs what they meant. Some references to Apples in that conversation had put me on edge. Everyone knows the story about poisoning Snow with the Apple. That meeting had me on edge for one specific reason.

I needed help.

I would never normally have the courage to do this, but it wasn't just my life on the line here. I had a hell of a lot to lose. I needed someone who knew the Queen's identity, knew her weakness's and about the curse

I needed Rumpelstiltskin.

I walked down to his pawn shop still not quite sure what I was going to say. I could tell him who I was but that was a last case scenario. I could tell him I knew who he was but my father doesn't like not knowing how I would know.

There was one other way to convince the Dark One to do your bidding. That was to make a deal of course. His specialty.

I reached his shop and took multiple breaths to settle my panic before going inside. You always needed a clear head when talking to him.

"Mr Gold?" my voice rang out in the shop.

He came limping out with his cane from the back room.

"You called dearie?" his voice was so calm. That word. Dearie. That's what papa called people.

"um yeah I um" fuck. You can't stumble when talking with him. You can't show weakness.

"I need help" No. admitting you need help is like an open invite for chaos. It's like seeing my father made all of my smooth talking skills obsolete. Damn it.

"It's about my wife. Emma. I think the mayor threatened us. Like she might be evil or something" I told him watching him very closely. My use of the word evil was me trying to see if my father remembered.

"Evil you say? Interesting."

"Yes she was talking about apples. We had been discussing the Snow White story as she walked up and I couldn't help but draw parallels." His eyes widened. Oh shit. He knew. He knew.

"I see. Now tell me who the hell you really are?"

"What do you mean?" my voice sounding innocent. Too innocent.

"Don't play games with me, dearie" it came out low and angry.

"It doesn't matter. Just tell me how she's meant to break the curse?" My plan is royally screwed now.

"Will this is an interesting development. You need something from me, and I need your name. Perhaps a deal is in our future." I almost ran. I looked back at the door thinking about how I far I could make it.

"How will I know you will uphold your end?" my voice came out weak, vulnerable. The last deal I made with him was a literal disaster. Curse me for being so weak.

"I always uphold my deals"

"That's not true is it? You've broken one before." He actually stumbled back as though he were hit.

Deathly silence hung in the air.

I didn't mean to say that but verbal sparring with him had always been a slippery slope. He knew how to get under your skin make you say things you would never normally admit too.

"How, but how, what" I couldn't believe it. The dark one was actually at a loss for words. He always talked. Always had something to say. I had actually knocked him off his game.

His face contorted to rage. "How do you know? What do you know?" He was angry. I've only seen him get this pissed off a handful of times. His voice was soft, but there was a steel edge to it. This is when he was the most dangerous.

He was mad at me? That set me off. I really didn't mean what I meant to say next but you can only control so much when you're confronting the person who has wronged you. "I'm the only one allowed to be angry here." I finally snapped "Do you know what braking that deal meant? I ended up in 19th century London. With a little family called the Darlings. And I ended up in Neverland. Do you know how twisted Peter Pan actually is? My life was hell. Literal hell. All because you had gone and broke our deal. You broke our deal" I had ended up yelling at him. I was visibly shaking with rage, too angry to realise the impact my words had left.

Having said that, I stormed out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Everyone, ragsweas has a Swanfire story of her own in the works as well as a story of a twist on the Black Fairy storyline, both are really well written and they should defiantly be checked out**.

 **Ragsweas: Thank you for your kind words.**

 **Potterstar202: Thanks!**

 **Helsa-Gurl: Rumpelstiltskin does now know that Neal is Baelfire. I have been looking for an excuse to get the Dark One and Evil Queen into a conversation. I always loved their dynamic. It will not be for a few chapters but I'm looking forward to writing it.**

 **If you are to review anything from season seven can you please put a spoiler warning on it, I have not seen any of the latest season.**

 _"_ Hello, _I'm the mayor of this fine town. We don't really get visitors so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Regina Mills."_

 _"Oh hi there mayor Mills. It's such a small cute little town you have here." I told her brightly. I always thought I'd be a city girl but there was something about this place that felt right. It's like I felt a connection here._

 _"Yes will I see you are reading I don't want to interrupt, but that doesn't quite look like the traditional fairy tale book you have there. I adore a good princess story myself" She gestured to Henry's storybook._

 _"We found this a couple of years ago. It's like all of the characters from fairy-tale land but they are all intermixed and all know each other. They are nothing like the classics. Snow White is not all sweet and ditzy like the classic portrays her as."_

 _Her smile seems to have tightened. "Yes. I was always more fascinated with the Queen in that story myself. I mean just because Snow White was said to be prettier than her, I always felt like there was more to that story then meets the eye. And I love apples of course. I make a killer Apple turnover."_

 _I felt Neal tense and I looked over to him, but he did not notice. He was giving his fake smile, like when you have to be nice to someone because they are a higher authority than you, but you secretly want to bash in their skulls._

 _"Um yeah" that was odd "I've never been a huge fan of apples but I'm sure it's good." Seriously, every time I got near anything Apple I felt ill._

 _"Well enjoy your stay" she said with a fake politeness than walked off._

Neal had stormed out after that conversation. I was a little put off by the mayor's conversation, she seemed friendly enough, but my gut instinct was telling me something was wrong. I put Henry and Hope in their rooms and went to find answers.

Something was wrong with this whole town. They seemed to be walking around in a daze, and everyone just answered with as long as I can remember. No one seemed to know anything about how long Regina had been in power, or even the last election.

Oh I'm so sorry" I told this lady I had practically knocked over. I helped her up.

"Oh no, I wasn't watching where I was going either. I'm Mary Margret Blanchard by the way." She stuck out her hand to shake.

"Emma Swan" I replied. I looked up at her and as soon as our hands touched a scene came through my mind. It was all on like fast forward a baby being born, being wrapped in my baby blanket, the woman telling me she loved me while crying, the hopelessness I could feel in her was heartbreaking, the man fighting with a sword a bunch of black knights, him putting the baby in the wardrobe after getting fatally stabbed. Whispering find us before putting me in a wardrobe. I yanked my arm back.

"Um miss are you alright?" Mary Margret asks me. I had sat down in the closest chair. No. I was not alright.

A conversation from long ago came to my mind

 _"Emma we need to talk" Isn't that what everyone wants to hear._

 _"You're not going to believe me when I tell you this, but use your super power, tell me if I'm lying." It had been a particularly hard case at work and the kids were very fussy tonight so I wasn't really in the mood but decided to humor him._

 _"Alright Bae"_

 _"Every story in Henry's book actually happened. I know because I'm from the Enchanted Forest."_

 _I did what every sane person would do. I burst out laughing._

 _"I'm not kidding" my laughter seized._

 _"But that would mean magic is real. Do you know how crazy you sound?"_

 _"Yes" he moved to take my hands in his "believe me I do. I don't expect you to believe me but just keep an open mind alright" he looked like he wanted to say more but bit his tongue. Wither or not it was real he thought it was and he had no reason to lie to me._

 _After a lot of back and forth fighting I realised we were getting nowhere. I started to pace around the room. He was giving me space. I decided to changed tactics._

 _"I'm not saying I believe you but let's say for a moment you were telling the truth, who were you? Back in the Enchanted Forest?" She felt ridiculous for saying it but something deep within her struck a chord. Like he was telling the truth._

 _"My name was Baelfire. I've searched every story book I could find and cannot for the life of me find my story. But you might know my fathers from legends in this realm." He just said realm. Like he wasn't from this realm. I felt like I had crossed into some weird Twilight Zone._

 _"And who is your father?" I asked dryly._

 _His voice came out meek, quiet "Rumpelstiltskin" he then looked away shamefully._

 _"OK" I said slowly. Neal is from another realm and the son of Rumpelstiltskin. Sure why not? The thing was I didn't see him lie. Which means he believes it._

I look at that conversation in a whole new light. The town was called freaking Storybrooke for goodness sake. I had just seen the last pages of Henry's storybook, but from the viewpoint of the baby, who is also named Emma. The storybook even had my cursed baby blanket in it stitched with my name.

The mayor looked like the Evil Queen, and was even talking about apples for goodness sake, the waitress Ruby looked like Red, and Mary Margret looked like Snow White.

My mother.

I ran. Something about Henry's storybook and Bae's confession always seemed real to me, even if I denied it.

I couldn't deny it anymore.

I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, long lost Princess to the kingdom of Misthaven.

It would explain my disdain for apples at any rate. I ran deep into the forest (mother/daughter trait perhaps?) needing some time to think. I was about to collapse on the tree when I heard heartwraking sobs.

I followed the sound and gasped. "Bae?"

His head snapped up. "Emma"

I just sat next to him and let him cry while running my hands soothingly through his hair.

Here is the thing. Nothing bothers Bae. He is the most laid back, easy going person I know. When I got really hormonal during my pregnancy and threw my drink on him, he didn't bat an eye.

I've seen him cry exactly three times. At the birth of our children were the first two. The only other time was during a dark time in Hope's sickness after she was born, he was a wreck. I was devastated as well but he seemed to think he was personally responsible. If he was this upset there was a hell of a good reason

After what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes his sobs let up.

"He left me, but he's here" his voice was hoarse from all his crying and it came out as nothing more than a whisper, but the forest was silent, and I heard every word.

"Back home in the EF" his voice was so soft and broken, and I assumed EF meant Enchanted Forest "my friend got drafted to fight in the Ogres War" of course there would be Ogres in fairy-tale land. "At only fourteen years of age. They had kept lowering the age of the draft. Rumpelstiltskin realised I would soon be drafted as my fourteenth birthday was in two days' time. So he looked for power. I said I would fight, but he wouldn't hear of it.

He got a dagger that controlled a magical creature called the Dark One. And then he killed the Dark One, and that made him the new Dark One. That was the beginning of the end for my life really. My father became obsessed with power. And scary overprotective. He would kill people if they so much as looked at me wrong. I was so heart broken. I found a magic bean that transports between realms and it could land us in a land without magic. I just wanted my papa back," and here he fell back into sobs and I decided that was enough.

"Shhhh it is ok Bae" I continued stroking his hair. We walked back after he collected himself, and I was totally focused on him I kind of forgot about why I was out in the woods in the first place.

The curse is real. Bae was so upset he couldn't have made up a story that elaborate if he tried too. He walked back to the inn but seemed like he was in a daze, just going through the motions. I got him into bed and grabbed Henry's storybook.

Bae had said he's here. I looked at the picture of him in the book and realised I knew who this was. This was Mr. Gold. I didn't want to team up with him, but he seemed to be my only option at the moment. I've waited 28 years to find my parents and if he was as powerful as Bae told me he was in the past then I needed help. I was completely out of my depth.

So he was about to gain a new ally.

After I kicked his ass of course.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Hey guys, sorry school is kicking my rear end so updates will be sporadic.**

 **Oncer4life11: Thanks, sorry I missed addressing you last chapter. Thank you for your review!**

 **Helsa-Gurl: Thanks again! I always thought the not liking apples would be an inheritance for any one related to Snow, it should be like a rule. I was trying to mirror the show when she touches the book in the season one finale.**

 **Ragsweas: Thanks! Emma is mad at Rumpelstiltskin for abandoning Neal, but also realises she needs him because of the gravity of the situation with the Evil Queen, but she won't allow Rumple to go unpunished. She's kind of stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I'm not quite sure about a Beta, I'll think about it.**

 **CHEESEPUFF: Thanks!**

He smirked. Awake at last. 28 years. 28 long years. Other than that brief stint eleven years in. He finally remembered everything.

That kid Henry saying Emma's name was a loophole he built into the curse. Mr. Gold was now Rumpelstiltskin. Mr. Gold thought strangers visiting the town was odd. Rumpelstiltskin on the other hand knew exactly how these strangers had gotten in. Mr. Gold wondered why the hell the mayor wanted to reopen the clock tower. Rumpelstiltskin knew it was not the mayors doing. Or as she was better known as Her Majesty.

The saviour having a family was unexpected, even for someone who sees the future, he doesn't see everything. And the kid had said his sister's name was Hope. The greatest irony if he ever saw it. Without saying anything more he walked off.

He needed to plan. He wanted the curse broken sooner rather than later, but to convince the saviour of magic and fairy-tales he expected to be a challenge.

+  
I watched the man yell at me hysterically and then ran out of my shop.

I was too paralysed to do anything. He said I broke a deal with him. I had only ever broken one deal in my life. It couldn't be. If it was, then that was Bae. And he had a family with the savior.

The son of the darkest magic, feared throughout the Enchanted Forest and many other realms, fell in love with the daughter born of the truest love he has ever seen. Snow White and Prince Charming. Fate had a sense of humor and the irony was definitely not lost on him.

But none of that mattered. What mattered now was Baelfire. But he couldn't move. He was stuck on one thing from the conversation.

 _And I ended up in Neverland. Do you know how twisted Peter Pan actually is?_ Of all things it seemed to be a trivial thing to be hung up on, but for the first time in centuries, since the night he dropped Bae through the portal, he cried. All his boy had to endure. Because he did know Peter Pan. And knew exactly who he was. Probably more than Bae did himself. The bastard.

Because he was a coward. A split second decision had ruined his and his son's entire life.

He barely got himself under control when the savior stormed into his shop. The thought that seemed to be running through his head was that this was his future daughter in law and she seemed angry.

"I can't believe you. What the hell did you do?" she had practically ran and got right in his face.

"Miss Swan, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked using his calm collected façade. For once he was scared. Not physically but Emma meant a lot to Neal and if he screwed this up Bae would never forgive him.

"Cut the crap. This is serious. Do you even know what that did to Neal? When you abandoned him? All those years ago?"

At this point she grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall "A parent should never abandon their child. Ever. You're nothing more than a coward and if you make one wrong move I'll kill you. Do we have an understanding?" It was technically his fault she was abandoned.

He could only nod as she had cut off his air supply. She glared daggers at him.

She released him gave a self-satisfied nod. "Good. Now how in the hell do I brake this damn curse, Rumpelstiltskin?" she demanded as she stomped her foot down and practically spat his name.

"Yo-you believe?" he stuttered to stunned to be coherent. She believed. This might break faster than he thought.

"I ran into Mary-Margret today. Everything Bae told me, along with Henry's storybook, it all just kind of clicked into place."

"Yes" he was rubbing his neck "you have your mothers chin, but how you came storming in here threatening me, that amount of arrogance and tact was all Charming."

"And we are getting off track. How. Do. I _._ Break. The. Curse?" she punctuated each word with anger and a furious gaze.

"Not yet. I want this curse broken" partly true, now that he found Bae he didn't have the same sense of urgency he did before, but knew Bae would want Emma to be reunited so he did want to break the curse in that sense "but first we need to make some preparations"

"For what?" Emma asked baffled.

"The Evil Queen of course. Right now she thinks no one knows about her. I think it should stay that way for now. Showing our hand early would be disastrous" he kind of liked how evil Regina was, but his grandchildren would be targets under her wrath so he needed her to be eliminated.

"For right now, princess, your father is a John Doe in a coma in the hospital. Try to get your mother to wake him up" and with that he walked into the next room.

Emma temporarily distracted him from his thoughts on Baelfire, but he would get back to them now.

Bae was here. He let out a genuine smile, all these centuries searching were not in vain.

Bae was all he had left and he was going to get him back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Emma may seem a little OC in the beginning of this chapter but remember that she's not as rigid as she is in canon because she never went to prison and Neal never abandoned her so she's a little more light and carefree.**

 **CHEESEPUFF: I do have plans for August but I don't know if you'll like reading this, he has a lot to answer for splitting up Swanfire in Canon and I won't paint him in the best light.**

 **Oncer4life11: Thanks! Right now Rumple is content to sit back and let the curse break on his own which means it will be slow moving as Emma has no clue how to break the curse, unless a certain bookworm can change Rumple's mind.**

 **Ragsweas: Yes Rumple knows and now he's determined to get in Bae's good graces. But that can wait a few chapters.**

"For right now, princess, your father is a John Doe in a coma in the hospital. Try to get your mother to wake him up" and with that he walked into the next room.

Emma's breath left her. She got back to the hotel room and lied down absorbing the day's events.

She only lied down for like five seconds, her mind racing. She decided to write in her Diary of what happened and what she needs to do now.

She wrote about the Evil Queen being mayor, and technically her step grandmother, her parents being freaking Snow White and Prince Charming, Rumpelstiltskin who is also the Dark One is her father in law.

She realised she had one messed up family tree.

And she was a princess. An honest to god, real life princess. She had a girlish giggle escape her lips. She was actual royalty. Her mom was Snow White. She was Princess Emma. She wondered if she could get everyone to bow to her when they all remembered who she was.

Ok she was getting off track.

She then turned the page and wrote what she must do. She has to prepare a cell for the Queen, when she breaks the curse. She must reunite her parents, and bring back the happy endings.

Her parents wanted her. She grew up her whole life, thinking she was unloved, unwanted, and abandoned.

That woman she ran into today was her mother, who didn't even remember she had a daughter. The worse curse in the world is being separated from a love one.

Her father was in the hospital. That's what Rumpelstiltskin had told her. When she ran into her mother she saw flashes of their minutes together. He was fighting off knights when he put her in the wardrobe. He got cut. Protecting her.

She went to the washroom to freshen up than was going to seek out her father when Bae and Henry walked into the room, talking not knowing she could hear their conversation.

"So that maid was Cinderella. She even has a step mom and two step sisters" Henry was talking fast and excitedly.

"I want to meet Cinderella." Hope's voice shone through, full of optimism, too young to have been told that fairy-tale didn't exist.

"You will sweetie. You're Princess Hope, and a princess would never turn down an invite from another princess. It would be improper."

She could believe it. He always thought the stories in his book were more than just stories. He even tried to convince her on multiple occasions that the princess in the end of the book was her because of her name.

Bae must have known and told Henry because when a when a fully grown adult tells you, you're from another realm you think he's insane. On the other hand if a kid tells you he has a creative imagination.

That thieving conniving son of a… Bae's voice cut off her thought

"Yes that was most likely her. I'm more interested in the Queen's sidekick. The one who owns the newspaper. He seems oddly loyal to her but I can't for the life of me figure it out."

"You could always ask The Dark One" Emma says, walking into the bedroom making her presence known.

They all physically jumped not expecting her to be there.

"You believe. You can be part of Operation Cobra." Henry was practically bursting at the seams with excitement.

"Yeah kid. I do. And what is Operation Cobra?" she asked baffled.

"It's what we nicknamed the plan to break the curse. Duh." He said as if I was supposed to know that.

"Right so let's get down to business" she and Baelfire needed to have a talk, but that could wait until her kids weren't there.

They told her everything they had found out, and she did the same but no one was any closer to discovering how to break the curse.

This conversation was getting tedious and she needed a break. She grabbed the storybook and Emma went out to the hospital and found her father. They both had blonde hair but she didn't see a lot of physical resemblance. She remembered Rumpelstiltskin's comment about her "arrogance and tact being all his."

He was in the coma because of her. Protecting her.

She didn't even realise as tears slipped down her cheeks. No one for the first seventeen years of her life cared for her enough to die for her. Except her father who didn't even remember her.

She went to him and read the last part of the story.

 _And so the savour was born too early. Queen Snow had realised the wardrobe only took one. She had to let her go to give Emma her best chance. King James took Emma and with one final glance to Snow left the room, fighting off the dark knights with a sword in one hand, and newborn in the other._

 _He got to the wardrobe, took one final look at his daughter. Whispered his trademark "find us" to her as he kissed her forehead. He then stuffed her in the wardrobe and closed the doors as the knights fought with him._

 _He got cut and was slowly bleeding out. Snow dragged herself into the room as the Evil Queen made herself known. After a talk Snow realised that Emma did get away and not all hope was lost. "You're going to lose. I know that now. Good will always win" These were the last words spoken by Snow until the Queens curse engulfed the land."_

Her father's hand reached out and grabbed hers. It was only momentary. Nothing else happened. But it was something. She held onto it clinging for dear life.

"Dad" her voice cracked "It's Emma, you're daughter. I found you. Please wake up" she was still freely crying. "Mom is here. Here she is known as Mary-Margret, but you know her as Snow White. She needs you. I need you." Nothing else happened. "Where is Prince Charming? Needing to go save Damsels in distress? Please?" All of her begging seemed to be in vain.

She got up to leave and saw Mary Margret walking towards her. She made herself as presentable as possible.

"Oh Emma right?"

"Yeah. Do you know who this is?" Emma asked.

"No clue, he's been here for as long as I can remember. What do you have there?"

"A book of Fairy-tales. There different then the classics though. I thought I would volunteer here. I'm sure being in a coma gets lonely."

I volunteer here too. What were you reading him?"

Your story Emma wanted to say "Snow White. Say what if you read to him? What about this story? Where Snow and he meet for the first time." Emma said flipping to the page. "I have to go" Emma says running out of the room.

Mary Margret felt silly but didn't know what else to do. That was the second time Emma walked out on her. With a shrug she sat down and started reading "Once Upon A Time…"

 **Hey Everyone, Merry Christmas Eve. Here is an early Christmas present for you guys. I teared up writing this scene. I love Charming as a dad. Next time Charming wakes up and we get to see Emma and Bae talk, Kathryn get back her memories and Mary Margret deal with her feeling. Until Next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Ragsweas: Thanks always love to hear from you!**

The next morning at Granny's the town was abuzz with gossip. The John Doe had awoken from his coma.

Neal turned to Emma who was positively beaming. He was happy for her. Emma deserved the entire world and getting her to her parents was a start.

They had ran into Mary Margret and asked her to watch after Hope and Henry. Usually they wouldn't do this with random people they barely knew but this was Snow White, Emma's mother.

She was happy to take them and Emma and Bae went back up to their room to talk.

"Why did you never tell me?" She demanded as soon as the door closed.

"I saw how sceptical you were when I told you about the Enchanted Forest and my own past. I did try to tell you. I had Henry do it."

"Using my own son against me?"

"It wasn't like that and you know it" at these words Emma seemed to deflate.

"I'm sorry. Anger is the easiest emotion to deal with at the moment. My mother and father are actually here. I don't know how to feel about that." Neal came to her on the bed and pulled her closer to him.

"On one hand I'm so angry. They left me. Sent me away. But on the other hand my father almost died protecting me. They didn't want to leave me.

I was wanted" at this Emma's voice cracked and she couldn't continue. Neal just sat their lost in thought. His own father chose power over him, while Emma's parents did everything they could to ensure Emma's survival.

"Listen to me. We will break this curse. We will defeat the Evil Queen together. I didn't come to this town and see my father again for you not to get your happy ending. Your fathers awake. That means the curse is weakening."

Emma weakly nodded. "How did you know? My 28th birthday. You seemed to know."

He took a deep breath and repositioned himself to look into Emma's eyes. He didn't know if he should tell her about the wardrobe and how it could transport two. But they had no secrets from each other and staring into her eyes he started the story.

"Do you remember the night we fenced the watches and got the 20 grand?" She nodded but I could see the confusion plain as day written on her face. "Why I was late coming back to you" he prompted her.

She cut him off "You said someone ran into you who knew your father and wanted me to take the fall for the watches. Wait knew your father was the Dark One?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah. He is more connected to you then one might think. In this realm he's known as August."

She had no confirmation, but an inkling "And in the Enchanted Forest what is he known as?" She could be wrong, but she doubts it.

He steadied himself "Pinocchio."

She snorted. Than as she realised he was being serious she added "he's real too?"

"Says the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"Fair Point. One thing I don't get is why on earth would Pinocchio want me in jail?"

"He wanted you to break the curse. He thought being with me was going to prevent it because I would do anything not to see my father again even if it meant keeping you from your destiny. He told me a prophecy was issued that on your 28th birthday the final battle would begin."

"Did you think about it?"

"Think about what?"

"Abandoning me? Letting me go to jail."

The word no was on the tip of his tongue but he looked at her and realised he had to be truthful.

"Yes." the silence hung between them with thick tension.

"Look Ems I was terrified. My father is not a good man. One day in our village a man was riding in a sort of carriage and he bumped into me. I had a scraped knee. That's it. That was my only injury. My father saw and the man was dead by night fall."

She gasped. "I never wanted to see him again. So when August told me my father was in this town for a brief moment my flight or fight instinct was gearing me very much towards flight. I thought about taking him up on his offer."

"Why didn't you?"

"You" he just kind of blurted out. "My love for you was so strong after I panicked I tried to imagine my life without you but I couldn't. So I stayed, fenced the watches and got us the hell out of there."

"Thank you for being honest" and hearing the sincerity in her voice he knew he made the right decision.

"There's more" he was not looking forward to this conversation. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"You know the magical wardrobe that transported you to this realm, and how it only had enough magic for one?"

She nodded not liking his tone, feeling on edge. Whatever he was going to say next was bad.

"Pinocchio told me the plan. It was for your mother to go through pregnant with you and because you weren't yet born technically only one person was going through."

"I could've grown up with my mother? What happened?" she was desperate now.

"You did" he said bluntly. She looked a taken back. "You were born before the wardrobe was fully completed." She looked heartbroken, but he knew what he said next was going to be anger.

"But that's not the reason you grew up alone" her eyes snapped to his.

"Just spit it out already" she practically demanded.

"The Blue Fairy and Geppetto lied to your parents."

"About what?"

"The amount of people who was allowed to go through the wardrobe."

It felt like a lead ball had dropped in her stomach. "The wardrobe had enough magic to take two people and…"

"And that's how Pinocchio ended up in this world." She cut him off.

He nodded.

She got up, a little too calmly. She walked across the room and her face contorted. She threw the lamp on the desk across the room and started screaming profanities.

Neal was too stunned to do anything and knew she probably needed this release of anger.

After she felt much better and they went to relieve Mary Margret of babysitting duties. Bae felt drained but he knew that conversation was necessary.

After they met up with her they headed to the hospital to see the recently woken John Doe, Emma's father.

They got there to see a blonde woman openly embracing a confused looking David.

"Ah the Swans and Miss Blanchard" a voice as cold as ice greeted them. They turned and saw the mayor, or her majesty walking up towards them.

"Mr Nolan has been _rightfully_ reunited with his long lost wife, Kathryn Nolan."

"He's been in a comma for 28 years. Why is she only coming to see him now?" Mary had asked.

"Because" at this the mayor lost all pretense of formality and was glaring at the former Princess with such a hatred that he was actually taken back. And that's coming from the son of the Dark One.

"They had a fight and in his rash actions he told her he was leaving. She assumed he actually did leave the town and could never go to look for him. He got into a car crash that night. I had found him by the side of the road and brought him here."

It was a nice story but everyone but Mary thought was utter bull. But even she seemed suspicious of the mayor's story.

Kathryn and David were walking over to them. "Hi thank you so much for alerting me Mayor Mills. I'm so happy to be reunited with my husband."

She seemed happy. She really did. But Bae had spent several lifetimes learning to spot liars. There was something off about Kathryn's statement. He wanted to get her alone and find out what.

 **Two Chapters in two days, I think it might be a Christmas miracle. All your reviews and follows have inspired me to not abandon this story. Merry Christmas to all. I hope everyone had an amazing holiday and all took time to be with their family. I realized how blessed I am to have the means to be around my family and have a fantastic Christmas Dinner, and I implore you all to help your local communities this holiday season, by either donating money or time if you are blessed enough to have the means. Seriously a little donation goes a long way. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone reading this.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Hi everyone I wanted to have this up by the New Year but I realised what I wrote was off canon after I rewatched an episode in season one so I had to scrape half the chapter and rewrite it from Rumpelstiltskin's POV instead of the Evil Queen's POV as I had planned.**

 **This Chapter will be happening at the same time the last chapter happened just from a different POV and will end off around the same spot.**

 **Ragaweas: Thanks!**

 **Helsa-Gurl this is your Dark One/Evil Queen Conversation you were asking about a few chapters back.**

His son just walked through his shop. It was very early in the morning, before most people would have gotten up.

"Emma's father is awake. Snow White was reading to him." No hi, or idle chit chat he was straight down to business.

On the inside he was surprised, the saviour works fast. She has been in town for like two days. Outwardly he showed no emotion. "What an interesting development" he said with an air of casualness as though they were discussing the weather. His mind was racing a million miles a minute.

"Regina won't be happy" ah and the real reason his son came to visit him. He was scared of the queen and probably wanted protection but was too stubborn to admit it.

"Yes she will be angry." Bae seemed to be getting restless with his father's air of nothing bothering him.

"What do I do?" that was the closest his son would ask for a favor without asking a favor.

"Listen son you probably won't believe me but I can handle the Evil Queen. I won't let her touch you" I told him "or your family" I added in that last part as an afterthought

"Emma is sleeping and I'm going to go tell her the good news" with that he walked out of my shop. His son was still angry with him. Understandable but he wanted him back.

Rumpelstiltskin was mentally preparing himself for the conversation that was about to come.

Regina's curse had been unravelling since his son rode into town with the saviour on their yellow bug and he was the one who gave her the curse. Having their very own resident _Prince Charming_ awakened from his coma was going to be the straw that broke the Camel's back.

"Gold" she hollered as she stormed into his shop right on time.

"Ah Madame Mayor, what can I do you for?" he asked in that smug way of his that made it seem as though he was in control and was merely humoring you.

He knew she could never figure out if he knew during the curse. He didn't but Gold was a lot like his counterpart.

"There are strangers in town." She said it as a statement.

"Ah yes the Swans, such a _charming_ little family aren't they?" his smile was supposed to be innocent but she has known him for decades, and he was anything but innocent.

"Cut the crap"

I'm afraid I don't know what you mean"

"I'm sure you don't. Have you heard the news? A coma man has awoken from his condition" there were no signs on his face of shock or any give aways.

"Yes, Mr. Nolan. I heard that Miss Blanchard was reading to him, and later that same night he had awakened. Such an odd event" He had a smug smile on his face, he knew he shouldn't antagonize her, but it was so much fun.

"Miss Blanchard?" a thin layer of consideration and shock had appeared on her face. "Alright I need to know. What's your name?"

"Mr. Gold"

"Your real name"

"Every moment I've spent on this earth that's been my name"

"What about moments spent elsewhere?"

"Listen Dearie, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. Now I need to do some inventory so will you please get out of my shop?"

She narrowed her eyes. He had just asked please and called her dearie. He knew she wouldn't brake their deal.

She stormed out like a petulant child not getting what she wanted.

He knew he had to do some damage control. He didn't really care what happened but Bae wanted Emma to be reunited so he was going to do it for his son.

She was going to visit Kathryn Nolan who was married to David in this cursed land. She never told him but he had known her for decades, he knows the way her mind works.

He grabbed a golden statue and went outside of the hospital to catch her before she went inside. Kathryn Nolan was known as Princess Abigail, daughter of King Midas back in the Enchanted Forest, previously engaged to Snow White's Prince.

About a half hour later Kathryn came racing to the hospital as predictied.

"Mrs. Nolan" he nodded stopping he running.

"Oh um Mr. Gold, hi I really have to be off my husband just awoke from a coma." She was trying to get by him but he blocked her.

"Oh I have a gift for you" he saw confusion in her eyes, Gold had never even talked to her before and now a gift.

He gave her a statue of King Midas, made out of pure gold. Back home in the Enchanted Forest it was a lot bigger but she must have seen it every day for most of her life.

She looked at it weirdly and then she stumbled back. Gold held onto her to steady her.

A few minutes she came around and looked at him. "You" she used a special tone of voice, one reserved for someone speaking to the Dark One.

He smiled "your highness, you are welcome"

"What, what's going on, what am I wearing?" she asked looking at her clothes. "The Queen's Curse" her eyes had widen in realization.

"Yes everyone has been frozen in time for 28 years in this strange land"

"We must tell Prince James at once."

"He doesn't remember and he will think you are crazy. You must play the doting wife Kathryn. It is for all of our safety"

"And why should I trust you?"

"Because I want this curse broken. That is not a lie and if you want this curse broken so you can be with your precious Fredrick then I suggest heeding my advice."

Her eyes narrowed but must have come to the decision to trust him. "Fine I will do as you say, for now"

He nodded and they both went their separate ways.

-LINE BREAK-

"David, David" she ran up to him and hugged him noting the confusion on his face. She kissed him, but no for very long feeling like she was cheating on her love.

"Oh I'm so glad you're OK" and she was, he had helped her reunite with Fredrick in the Enchanted Forest and they had a delicate friendship. She was at Snow and his wedding when the evil queen made her threats, then had heard of a curse she claimed to have.

She saw Snow, or rather Mary Margret followed by a blonde girl holding a small child as well as two dark haired boys, One looking about thirty, the other looked ten or eleven years old.

She saw the Queen, or Mayor, god two set of memories were confusing, and she was glaring daggers at Mary. She liked Snow White and needed to break this up

David and I walked over to them. "Hi thank you so much for alerting me Mayor Mills. I'm so happy to be reunited with my husband." She looked around and the Queen seemed to believe her. No one could say Princess Abigail was bad at acting.

She saw the blonde glaring daggers at her. She had never met the blonde and had no clue what she did to make her so mad. And the man she was with seemed to have an 'are you are bullshitting me look,' maybe he could see through my lie. She needed to talk with him alone.

 **I hope you all had a great and safe New Years and I hope 2018 is off to a great start!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **baratta-jennifer: Thank you for your review!**

 **CHEESEPUFF: Yes I do have a plan for Abigail and Bae to talk. In this chapter actually.**

Emma was sitting in the dinner thinking over yesterday's events.

She was thrilled her... father was awake. God that was hard to think about. She still wasn't sure if she wrapped her mind around the fact her parents actually loved her, actually wanted her. She shut her eyes trying not to let tears slip out.

She could've grew up with loving parents.

She wasn't paying attention and accidentally spilled her hot cocoa on herself.

After a quick talk with the waitress she went down to the laundry and ran into a young girl who looked eighteen or nineteen and was very heavily pregnant.

They started talking.

"It's just when the baby comes" Ashly sniffled back tears "no one thinks I can do this. No one thinks I can do anything" Emma heard ruffling of sheets and more sniffling. "Maybe their right"

Emma had enough. She turned around put her arms across her chest leaning on the washing machine. "Screw them."

"What?" Her voice was so broken and venerable.

"Screw. Them. People are going to tell you who you are your whole life. You just got to punch back and say no. This is who I am."

"There are no fairy god mothers in this world. You want to change your life. Then do it." Emma became still after she uttered words. Blonde, pregnant maid, no it couldn't be. Ashley might actually be Cinderella. She knew from the book that her parents were friends with Cinderella, and that the pregnancy was a very much wanted one, not a mistake like everyone in this land thought.

She didn't say anything but there looked like a spark in her eye where it was previously void. "Thank you Emma."

With that Emma left the laundry room. She was the saviour and supposed to bring back the happy endings and she felt like she accomplished that, at least partially.

Ella was pregnant when the curse hit. She remembered that much from the storybook. And if her mother gave birth minutes before the curse hit that means her and Ella's child should have been a couple of weeks apart at the most. They could have grown up together as princesses.

Just one more reason to brake this damn curse and give the Queen what she deserves.

The next day her and her family were discussing ways to brake the curse, but it kept going around in circles with no real concrete solutions.

A knock on the door had startled them but Bae went to get it while Emma, Henry, and Hope were hiding everything from Operation Cobra.

Emma heard Bae open the door and he had a confused look on his face.

Emma walked over and saw the same blonde who was her fathers 'wife' in this land. She glared at her just as she did in the hospital.

"Hello, I heard you guys were new, I brought you this basket to welcome you to our town. May I come in?" She asked. Her tone seemed to be light and happy but it definitely was not. She also had this regal air about her. Like a princess.

Emma was not happy but Bae gave a short nod and opened the door further to let her in. As soon as the door closed she changed. Where her bright and bubbly look changed into one of tired and anger.

"We all know people don't come to this town. You were both giving me looks at the hospital yet I have met neither of you before, all though you do look vaguely familiar" she told Emma "so shall we dispense of pleasantries and get right down to it?"

No one seemed to want to make the first move and it descended into an awkward silence.

"Ok fine my name is Kathryn Nolan. But yesterday I found out that is a lie. I'm from a realm known as the Enchanted Forest, and I am Princess Abigail" she knew she was taking a risk, they might lock her up from being insane, but there was no way they got into the town by coincidence.

"So are we" was said by the one she knew to be Neal gesturing to Emma and himself.

"How'd you end up escaping the curse? You came from the outside?"

"It would take far too long for me to explain how I escaped" the man said "but Emma here is a little easier." Abigail's head snapped to Emma when she heard her name. She thought Emma looked familiar but with the name she know knew exactly who she stood before.

"You are James's daughter" it was not a question. "Ok so the glare you were giving me yesterday is now understandable."

"You know my father?"

She knew exactly how Emma escaped the curse, but Snow was caught up in the curse and Emma wasn't so everything did not go to plan. Seeing how Emma must have grown up alone broke her heart, she did not love James in a romantic sense, but she and Fredrick had become quite close to Snow and James.

"Yes I knew both your parents. Your father and I were betrothed at one point, and then he helped me save my beloved, making me grateful. I'm no happier about playing James's wife then you are but we cannot arouse the Queen's suspicions."

"Are you really a princess?" asked the young girl who looked to be five or six. "Daddy says I'm a princess too but we cannot tell the mean lady because then she will be angry."

Abigail was vaguely amused. The young girl's outlook on life was very simple, reality was far more complicated. "Yes I am the daughter of a King which makes me a princess and you are one too." The young girl looked up in wide eyed admonishment.

Emma glanced over and Bae had his eyebrow kind of scrunched up, a tell that she knew meant he was confused and that something didn't add up.

He suddenly sat up straighter, seeming to have come to a conclusion.

"Yesterday you found out that was a lie. How did you wake up? We have been trying to come up with some way to break this spell and nothing we think of will work"

Abigail relayed the story of yesterday and the new ally she had found (for now) in the Dark One.

"I suspect he has his own reasons and so I did as he asked and played the doting wife but I will not blindly trust him. Unfortunately we are out of our depth and we need his expertise for now" she admitted all though she looked as though she had swallowed a sour grape.

"Yeah, he has that effect on people" Bae's voice was cold and bitter.

Abigail was surprised, one did not have this kind of hatred for someone unless it was personal. "I am assuming the two of you have a history?"

"That's one way of putting it. I believe he will help protect my family from the queen, but it doesn't mean I have to forgive that bastard" his face immediately closed off, as if he said too much.

She was intrigued. He had said forgive, as if The Dark One actually wanted this man's forgiveness. The rumors surrounding him had him pegged as a cold bastard who cared for no one. Did he actually have a heart? And was this man in front of her the key to it?

The next few days passed in a blur. She played the loving wife perfectly and kept off suspicion from the queen. Emma got a job at the sheriff's station and they had met up a few times for dinner along with Neal and were plotting to break the curse.

The three of them were walking out of the diner when a man whom she did not recognise pulled up on a motorcycle.

"Hey guys, know a place a man could stay around here?" his voice was cocky. She looked over at her companions and Neal looked like he had swallowed a lemon.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Neal demanded.

"Who is he?" Emma asked Neal.

"Nice seeing you as well. The name is August."

"Wait, that August?" Emma asked wide eyed.

Neal just gave a nod still glaring daggers at the man. Abigail felt out of her depth, these three seemed to have a history.

Then without warning Emma stepped up to him and punched him right in the face.


End file.
